Re:SET
by RaihnSage
Summary: [Cross posted from AO3] Life was being extra hard and mean to Ryuuko, and to make things worse, she was all alone to battle this and deal with it. Which is not fair because no one has time for her anymore. Or: Ryuuko wants her mother and sister's attention. Little did she know, her wish was going to come true in the most...unexpected of ways.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** It's Raine again with more Ryuuko-centered stories. This one kinda came to me on a whim, but its not angsty or heavy as One More Time, One More Chance. I hope you enjoy this new story, and give me any feedback to improve on.

* * *

Tired.

Annoyed.

Disappointed.

This is how Ryuuko felt as her fingers found the familiar button, shutting off the annoying alarm that intruded on her dreams too soon. She didn't get up, or make any attempt at kicking off the blankets. Instead, she just laid in bed, contemplating whether she should leave the comfort of her bed or get a move on. She really, truly wanted to do the former, no questions about it. But really, where would that get her? Probably a long lecture about the importance of going to sleep early, followed by the question of WHY she has remained awake until very late, then she'd be made to go to school regardless of how tired (and/or late) she is. Perhaps she could try appealing to Ragyo's motherly instincts? She could plead that she's too tired to handle this day, but then, this will only take her back to the why and— Whatever. Between Ragyo and Satsuki, she barely stood a chance when her mother and older sister were on the same page. Which, in this case, was the expected scenario.

Grumbling to herself, Ryuuko kicked off the covers and hopped on her feet, figuring that she can go to school for now, and figure what to do later. It was only Tuesday, a long week lay ahead of her. At least, later this evening Mako was going to pick her up and they'd go to hang out and eat. There was that to look forward to, at least. They won't go after school directly, Mako would come over to pick her up an hour or so after school is out. Giving her enough time to work on her homework ( again, Satsuki's idea, not hers ), that's how she was allowed to go out during the week. Homework first, fun later. She wanted to object, she did actually, but she only ended up using her vocal cords to repeat a mantra that was unheard. At the end, it was either accept Satsuki's terms, or there was no going out for her at all.

"What a damned dictator, not even giving me a choice to make, ugh." She kept grumbling as she finished getting dressed, picking her school bag and leaving the room, whining loudly and feeling miserable all over.

As she walked through the halls that would lead her to the main entrance of their estate, she spotted the basement door, locked as usual. It was no secret that the lower levels of the Kiryuuin mansion hosted a giant lab; Ragyo spent an awful lot of time down there, with a bunch or scientists or something. Ryuuko didn't know much of it, since she was not allowed down there, hence the door being locked all the time. It wasn't fair, as Satsuki would go there sometimes. Ryuuko would object and argue, but the door remained locked, and something would be said about her safety yada yada yada. As if she would do anything to endanger herself! She only wants to take a look at what's down there, nothing else.

"One day…" She mumbled, eyeing the door viciously.

"What are you so worked up about?" Ryuuko nearly jumped at the sudden presence of her sister.

"Satsuki— Where did you come from?"

"I did not materialize out of thin air, you don't have to look at me as such."

"You did sneak up on me, and that's basically the same thing."

"Sneak up on you? I believe you were being too absent minded to notice my approaching."

"I wasn't— Ugh fine! Whatcha doing up so early anyways? You don't hafta to go to school anymore, so what gives?"

"I'm going to campus to work on some research."

"Why? You can work on it from home." Ryuuko couldn't fathom why would anyone want to wake up this early willingly. Satsuki has graduated high school few months ago, and have started attending university, leaving Ryuuko alone in a boring high school.

"I could, but I won't. Besides, I could drop you off on my way out."

"Drop me off…You don't have to—"

"Hm? I think I do. You've been quite needy lately, I didn't know my presence at school was so important to you."

"It's not! The hell'er ya on about? Who's being needy? You're the one burying herself in books for days at a time then you remember that you have a family outside of that office you lock yourself in and come looking for me!" If only she could've gone through this sentence without stammering and a heated blush creeping up her face.

"I suppose this would explain how a certain someone would sleepwalk into my bed every now and then."

Damn it!

"I dunno what you're talking about."

"Must be a ghost sister only I can see, then."

DAMN IT ALL.

"Whatever! It's not as if I can't get through school without you around. Things have been going well so far…" She trailed off as realization slowly crept to her mind.

Crap.

Crap.

Crap.

CRAP.

"Umm Sats?"

"What is it?"

"I have something to show you. But you gotta keep it a secret!"

"What sort of trouble did you land yourself in this time?"

Shit.

"N-Not really trouble! Just… Kinda sorta got into a fight with an asshole and— ineedsomeone'ssignaturetobeallowedtogotoschooltoday."

"YOU DID WHAT?" Her older sister thundered. So much for keeping it a secret.

"Keep it down, jeez!"

"Ryuuko…"

"It wasn't my fault! I was leaving class when that douche ran into me and demanded an apology! Like hell I'm gonna do that! He kept pushing until I had to punch him and things kinda took off from there."

"Control your impulses, child."

"Satsukiiii!"

"Where is that slip of paper?"

"In my bag."

"Say I hadn't caught you this morning, what were going to do?"

"That's…"

"Skipping school?"

"I haven't thought that far!"

Standing here working her little sister up was fun, but the clock was ticking, and she has to drop this brat off at school on time. They have to move now to avoid getting caught in the morning traffic.

"We don't want you being late, come."

"Yeah… Hey, where is mom anyways? I haven't seen her since last night." Early evening more like it.

"Probably still downstairs."

They stepped into the bright courtyard, both walking side by side towards the shiny silver car the belonged to her sister. It was a gift from Ragyo as her eldest graduated high school. Ryuuko enjoyed going on rides with her sister, it sorta made up for the lost time now that Satsuki was busier.

"How come I'm the only one not allowed down there? It's not fair!"

"We don't want you to get hurt if you accidentally run into something or touch something. Your curiosity can be troublesome sometimes."

"I'm seventeen now! I can control my impulses just fine."

"Just like you did yesterday? Is this why I have to sign this note before you're allowed back to school?"

"Ugh! Just drive already!"

The car was comfortably silent for the fifteen minute drive to the high school. As Satsuki parked, she took the note and read it thoroughly, realizing that Ryuuko's version was the watered down version of the events that happened the previous day. The punch seemed to have developed into a brawl, taking place in the far backyard with a not so small group of spectating students.

"Ryuuko…"

"What? He challenged me! I had to defend myself and my reputation!"

"How would you like it if you got suspended from school?"

"It won't get that point!"

"It will, if you keep up this behavior."

"Satsukiiiii, I'm sorry." She didn't want to have her sister so disappointed in her, not when they were about to part ways.

"Be more mindful of your reactions, silly child." Really, Satsuki couldn't stay mad at that adorable frown, even when she pretended that she was.

"I will."

"Good. Now take this note to the principal before the day starts, we don't want you being late on top of everything else."

"Mhm, I'll go. See ya later, Sats!"

"Have a good day."

Satsuki remained in the parking lot until her sister disappeared through the main doors of the school. She wouldn't admit it, but she kind of misses having Ryuuko around her all day long. With her changing schedule from day to day, Satsuki had less time to see her sister since she started attending university. Ragyo was still as busy as ever, and between the two of them, Ryuuko was spending a lot of time on her own. She will bring up the topic with her mother the next time she sees her, as she is sure Ryuuko's latest brawl was an attempt to draw some attention to her, as she must have been feeling neglected.

"That child…" Satsuki was amused, more than anything else. She hoped that the day would pass without further incidents, school related at least, and hopefully by the next day her and Ragyo would work out a way to moderate their working time and family time. Despite her early start, Satsuki has only three classes, which means she can leave campus earlier than usual, if she is to carry out her plan. She could stop at Ryuuko's favorite pizza joint, get her the greasy cheese she loved for some reason and spend a quiet evening with her. As Ragyo has always been busy, Satsuki spent a lot of time with her little sister; but since graduation, their time together only decreased. Oh well, not all is lost. She will work on making it up to Ryuuko, while getting Ragyo to spend time with her youngest for a change. Really, working non-stop in that lab would have its effects on her. She texted said busy mother her plan for the evening, getting her on board would surely cheer up her grumbling sister.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : This delay is brought to you by life happenings and having little to no time to write.

* * *

Ryuuko yawned as she walked towards the administrative wing near the school entrance. It was too much of a hassle, handing in the note and going back the opposite direction to get to her class. She barely tossed the note in the secretary's office before hurrying to her class. She didn't want to end up with another note because she's late. This school was a bit too much sometimes, having had Satsuki here, practically running the entire place, was a lot more fun. Now? Things were kinda stale and she didn't feel up to doing much. She was walking her merry way to her class when a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Ryu-uu-kooooo!" Came the shrill voice of her best friend, Mako, who came rushing towards her.

"Mako!" She greeted, her mood perking up since she walked through the main doors.

"How are you doing? Are you okay after yesterday? What did your mother say when she read the note? Are we still going out today or are you grounded?" Mako, as usual, was a chatterbox, talking a mile a minute, barely giving her friend a chance to respond.

"Yeah it's all good. I kinda forgot about the note until the morning, Sats signed it and all's good. Our plans still stand for today."

"Yaaay! I'm sure you'll love the new place I found! They have those amazing little cakes that you can eat as many of as you can! I want to try their red velvet mini cheesecakes, and the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream INSIDE of it looks sick!"

"Have you actually been there before?"

"No, but I went to their page on the internet and looked at the menu! Everything looks delicious and I'm sure we will have a lot of fun there! You just gotta prepare yourself for the feast later on."

"I'm ready! Make sure not to be late so we can spend as much time there as we can." The mention of the sweet assortments made Ryuuko crave the sugary treats, and now she really felt like indulging in some. But alas, class was starting, and she has a day full of boring lessons ahead. The fun would come afterwards, after she goes home and gets ready for her outing with her friend. There was little else she could do about it; as she doubted her sister would be as forgiving if she learned that Ryuuko has cut school. There was also the entire deal with her mother; Ragyo didn't know about the near suspension Ryuuko almost got herself into. But hey, a girl can never be too careful, she could be well informed for all Ryuuko knew. Having Satsuki handle the matter could be a good sign, however. Maybe her mother DID know about it, but deemed it a minor event thus didn't bother much with it. Or, the woman was still clueless. Whatever the case, Ryuuko was glad she got to evade it. She will try pulling her shit together and not get in any more trouble. She'd try to keep this up, for the foreseeable future, at least.

Really, Ryuuko wondered why both remaining family members in her life were so busy? She tried getting busy; with school in the way, hanging out with Mako and her family was fun. She'd often be spending long stretches of time in the Mankanshoku's small run down house. They were almost a second family to her by now. But she did wonder, what kind of a job would keep her mother so busy? Sometimes, it'd be days before she'd see the woman. Ragyo had the habit of overworking herself, which would result in her taking several days off away from the lab and office. Ryuuko enjoyed those 'off days' as she got to see and spend time with her mother. Those were always good times and she wished they got to do them more often. Sadly, it doesn't last long, as Ragyo would soon be back in the basement lab, overworking herself until she goes into another break, and so on and so fourth.

She sighed loudly, already losing interest in the lesson. She contemplated leaving school for the day and doing something fun. She is no stranger to skipping a class or two, or even an entire day. But given the previous day's events, even Ryuuko admitted that she'd be pushing it. After all, there was no telling what Ragyo knew or didn't know. Hence, adding this on top of the fight of the previous day would be her truly pushing her luck. Sighing again, Ryuuko looked outside of the window, she was trying to ignore the slow ticking of the clock, dragging the boring class for eternity. If this was last year she'd kill some time with Satsuki; having her sister at the head of the student council gave Ryuuko a lot leeway when it came to skipping classes. But now, she was stuck. She could feign sickness and nap in the nurse's office, but that would be a hit or miss as she was caught mid-lie once. Or worse, calling home and having everyone freak out at her sudden illness and taking her to a hospital to get checked immediately.

Thus, with all those different scenarios, she reasoned that staying put and enduring this day would be best. Remembering all of those incidents must be a sign or something. Telling her not to do anything but endure the day. There were only two hours left, and in her book, it was too long of a time to be spent stuck in school. She was going to skip tennis practice, for the third day in a row now. Hakodate is going to have a hissy fit, but she didn't really care. The only reason she joined the tennis club is because Mako insisted on it. Otherwise, Ryuuko was content not joining anything in particular. The past year, she spent her free time with Satsuki in the student council room, but now— she didn't even go near the room. Besides that, Ryuuko has been feeling bitter about putting on her tennis uniform. She hasn't taken the item out of its bag in over a week. Ever since participating in that useless competition.

* * *

 _The three of them were sitting at dinner in the dinning room, a rare sight as of recent months. It was usually only the two sisters, their mother often too busy in her lab to come up at meal times. This occasion made Ryuuko break into a wide smile, and set her off talking about all sorts of things. Of course, those matters excluded her grades and focused more on her antics and endeavors, much to her mother and sister's dismay. Ragyo has made a mental note to contact the school and check on her youngest's progress. Not having Satsuki in the same school meant that Ryuuko had no inside supervision. She could be neglecting her academics for all she knew._

 _"By the way!" Ryuuko interrupted her own story, something about pranking the tennis club's president._

 _"The competition is tomorrow, you hafta come! It starts at 12."_

 _"Ryuuko… I'm sorry, I have to sit a test tomorrow noon."_

 _"Tomorrow is the shareholder's monthly meeting."_

 _Just like that, both women refused to show up on her big day. Each one of them busy with something else. It wasn't fair. She told them about the upcoming competition over two weeks ago, and they both agreed to come. That's why she insisted to play on that day, that's why she has been spending most of her days practicing after school for a change. But when it came down to it, they both turned their backs and refused to come._

 _Pushing her chair back loudly, she stood up. Dinner and chatter all forgotten._

 _"I can't believe you! You promised you'd come and now you're bailing!" She yelled before taking off, running towards her room upstairs and slamming the door shut. Her anger reflected in the loud bang that resulted from the slam. Both mother and daughter looked at each other silently, wondering how they could somehow salvage this._

 _"Satsuki…"_

 _"No. This exam is worth fifty percent of the final grade. You will have to re-schedule the meeting. Postpone it for a day, it won't hurt anyone."_

 _"You know I can't do that."_

 _"You can. Mother, you have those people in the palm of your hand. Ryuuko, on the other hand… She's too upset. She hasn't seen you in a while."_

 _"Work is not going to finish itself."_

 _"I know. But that child… She's been getting into all sorts of trouble as of late."_

 _"What sort of trouble?"_

 _"This is not the point. She needs to see you more often. This entire being by herself thing is making her…lonely."_

 _"She is old enough to be left on her own."_

 _"I know that she is. But she is feeling as if she's on her own. My days are full of classes and doing research, I haven't been able to spend much time with her either. If father was here— I'm sure he wouldn't have let her feel so isolated."_

 _"Soichiro, huh? I wonder what he would have done about this."_

 _"He'd have dropped everything and went to cheer her on. Sitting in the front row, no less." If only life wasn't so cruel. Their father passed away around four years ago; it wasn't anything dramatic, not a car accident or anything of the sort. He passed away in his sleep; going to sleep and never waking up again. It's been hard on all of them, to lose him so suddenly. He adored Ryuuko, and she took his death hard. Things did change, and they all rushed living their lives, all while missing the man who meant so much to all of them._

 _"I'm going to talk to her, mother. You better do the same."_

 _Ryuuko was laying face down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow as bitter tears ran down her cheeks. It seems that no one cares about her anymore, it's as if she's only annoying them, interfering with their perfectly set plans. She was wrong to join the tennis club, she was wrong to expect that anyone would want to see her do anything. If only—_

 _The knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts. The nerve of them!_

 _"Go away!" She yelled._

 _At that, the door opened and both Satsuki and Ragyo walked in, each one sitting on either side of the still upset girl._

 _"I said go away!" She yelled once again, not taking her face off of the pillow, which muffled her yell._

 _She felt both sides of her bed shifting, as both Satsuki and Ragyo occupied a spot next to her. She still wouldn't look at any of them._

 _"What are you doing? Let me gooooo!" She yelled, yet she didn't fight the pull. Ragyo grabbed her upset child under her arms, pulling her up from her current position and right into her lap. Instead of fighting her, Ryuuko curled in her arms and cried in earnest._

 _"There, there." The mother soothed, her maternal instincts telling there was more to this than her daughter was letting on._

 _"You know," Ragyo started, one arm wrapped around the still upset Ryuuko, the other traveling up and down her arm. "I'm going to push the meeting for the next day." This should salvage things, right?_

 _"I don't care!"_

 _Or not._

 _"Come on now, what is this all about?"_

 _"It's nothing!" Yet, her tears and weeping said otherwise. But that is Ryuuko, often playing hide and seek with her emotions, ignoring them and not making sense of them until they overwhelm her and cause her to have such a meltdown._

 _"Now now, what sort of a fool do you take me for? This can't be because of nothing."_

 _"I-It's not something that anyone can do anything about!"_

 _Oh._

 _Now it started making sense. Unlike her mother and older sister, Ryuuko didn't rationalize the absence of her father on her big day tomorrow. She wanted to see him sitting there on pews, even if only in her imagination. There was a lot he missed and going to miss, and sometimes, it got too much for her to handle. Especially that she was left to her own devices most of the time now. It was partly the reason she spent a lot of time over at Mako's place. Her friend's family was tight knitted. They often did things together, which is the stark opposite of her situation with her own family. Mako's entire family was going to show up tomorrow, and here she is, trying to get at least one of her remaining family to clear up their schedule for her. Thinking of all of this again gave way to another bout of tears. She curled up in Ragyo's embrace, taking in the fact that both mother and sister were present with her right at this moment._

 _Ragyo didn't say much, nor did Satsuki. Ryuuko has, once again, bottled all of her feelings and everything was blowing over right now. They understood that she missed her father, but there wasn't anything they could do about it. Nothing besides being there for the grieving teen and reassuring her that, no, she wasn't alone in this world. Ragyo continued holding her child until she calmed down eventually. As if harboring some kind of a sixth sense, there was knock on the door. In came Soroi, carrying a tray with two steaming tea cups, and a small mug of hot chocolate. The three of them sat together, resting on the big bed and enjoyed their drinks, taking advantage of the opportunity and catching up with each other. Doing this, in addition to the sweet warm beverage, has done wonders in lifting up Ryuuko's mood. Soon she was back to herself, relaying few incidents at school that seemed to entertain her for some reason._

* * *

Ragyo did show up that day, Satsuki did too, albeit a little late, but she made it nonetheless. Ryuuko wasn't paying attention much on that day; despite winning, she couldn't feel that ecstatic about it. She kept feeling that she pushed her mother and sister to come, that they both had more important things to do than being at the arena that day. What if the meeting couldn't be re-scheduled? What if Satsuki failed her exam in her haste to come? Try as she might, she kept thinking of those things, letting them eat at her for an entire day. Hence, she wasn't that keen on playing tennis again. She skipped almost every day of practice, she didn't participate in any other competitions, and she felt better somehow. At least now she wasn't roping anyone into anything. Her days were spent hanging out with Mako or going over to her place for sleepovers and such. She won't say that she is happy with this arrangement, but it was for the better for everyone.

* * *

 **A/N** : bribes y'all with some family fluff~


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Here is the latest development in Ryuuko's quest to get some attention AND have more fun. Not necessarily in this order, but close enough~

* * *

The last bell of the day rang loudly, prompting the mass of students to leave their seats and make it to the door. It was a loud mess, everyone racing to get out of the classroom and the school altogether. Clubs were being slowly filled by students, most getting busy with practice or idle socializing. Ryuuko didn't get the appeal of it; training was a pain in the ass, being around others in the club was a pain in the ass, none of it was anything she wanted to get too involved with. Tennis wasn't so bad, she could beat the ball with her racket, put as much strength as she could in each blow. It made her good at it, winning was easy as long as she stayed on the offensive and overwhelmed her opponent.

But that was that. It was all fun and games until she got bored, the practice was a pain, she skipped it almost every day. Hakodate was hardly impressed, her yelling about this or that never ceasing. Oh well, she will have to deal with it, Ryuuko wasn't going to bother attending if she doesn't feel up to it. Kick her out of the club? She can go right ahead, it won't matter in the slightest. She waned as she looked at the time, the classroom was empty now, prompting her to pick her bag and make for the door. Mako was already at practice, hence their later meeting. She didn't mind, she could use a nap and see who's home. Satsuki might be there.

Ragyo?

Unlikely.

* * *

The phone's buzzing grabbed Ragyo's attention. She mostly kept it on silent mode, ignoring it most of the time. It wasn't anything work-related, as it was her own personal phone. The phone she kept to contact her daughters or anything related to that (Ryuuko's school, the Mankanshokus). It was less of a headache, Rei was good at handling the professional calls, only alerting her to attend to the more urgent ones. Not a day ago did her youngest get into a fight at school. Really, that child was hopeless at times. Time and time again, Ragyo warned her about her behavior; getting expelled won't do anyone any good. She was planning on having a good talk about this with the miscreant girl. Maybe this weekend if her schedule was cleared for few hours. She admits that work has been busy as of late, prompting her to stay down here far longer than she did upstairs. In those instances, she'd be out of her lab during Ryuuko's school time, returning back here shortly before her daughter made it back.

She usually ignores the calls and texts she receives while working. Yet, the insistent calling, the ongoing buzzing of the vibrating phone forced to pick it up. The screen showed Satsuki's name, surprised, she picked it up, all the while wondering what this is about.

"Hello, Satsuki." She greeted, wondering if there was an emergency she needs to tend to.

"Hello, mother, busy as usual I see."

"This research won't finish itself."

"You could take a break every now and then you know."

"I do take breaks—"

"When no one is there at the house. You know, Ryuuko needs to see you around. When was the last time you saw her?"

"Around two weeks…" It sounded absurd even to her.

"She's lonely, and I worry about what would happen when she does something drastic to get your attention."

"It's not—"

"It IS, mother. Don't tell me you can't see it."

"Fine, you're right. I'll figure something out."

"Tonight. After her outing with Mako, we will sit together and do something. Dinner and a movie, I have everything covered.'

"Tonight, huh?"

"No, not just tonight. I'll leave early today, I'll meet her before she leaves this evening, and you'll do the same. I don't want her to return to an empty house."

"When does she come home usually?"

"Around three forty-five, give or take."

"Alright, I'll wait for her, and tonight too."

"Good. Thank you, mother."

"Mhm."

As their conversation ended, Ragyo set up her timer. It would go off at the exact time Satsuki has specified. She agrees with her eldest, she admits that her hours down here were getting longer. Neglecting her daughter was not what she had planned, but here they are now. She knew what Satsuki was referring to, the fight from the day before was one of those attempts. The angry tennis ball that broke one of the windows was another attempt, the yelling and ruckus near her bedtime was also one of those attempts. She will make sure to spend more time with her needy teenager, as her absence was not doing anyone any favors. She'd work the longest during the day, leaving evenings for her family. This sounded like a good plan.

* * *

"I'm home." Ryuuko muttered to nobody, as the foyer and main entrance were empty. Her voice echoing in the empty space, reminding her of her solitude. She kicked the bag along with her shoes and made it to the hallway. The house was as quiet as she left it this morning, the only difference being that Satsuki was there to entertain her in the morning, and right now she was by herself. She walked to the small kitchenette, pouring herself a cool glass of water. She set the alarm on her phone, in case she ended up getting too involved with her nap.

"God damn school… Why does it have to start so early in the morning—" She grumbled, placing the glass down on the counter and deciding to take this much-needed nap now. The faster she makes it to her room and her bed, the more time she can use snoozing off. Nothing beats a good nap and a limitless number of cakes and ice cream. The thought kept her cheerful as she sauntered off, going through the same hallway she used every day on her way in and out of the mansion. She has made the same walk countless of times, nothing really changed throughout the years. Take a left turn, walk down the long corridor, passing the ever locked basement door towards the— She stopped walking, her eyes taking in the scene before her. For the first time in forever, the basement's door was open. Open might not be the word, as the gap between the door and the door frame was barely an inch, but it was enough indication of what she was taking in.

Careful steps led her to the door, testing it, slowly pushing it open. A set of long stairs greeted her, she slowly descended them, paying attention to any sound she might hear. This was definitely a first. For the entirety of her life, she has never made to this part of the house. It was a space occupied mostly by her mother, occasionally her sister. Now it was her turn to see what is down there. Maybe if Ragyo saw her down there she'd let her down more often. Really, what was the big deal anyway? She'd just watch and observe. There was nothing to it, they gotta stop treating her like a child. Now was her chance to prove them otherwise. Bonus if Ragyo was down here, she'd see her and observe how she's not gonna cause any trouble. From this moment on things are going to be different; she'd be joining her mother and sister in their work down in the lab.

She was greeted by quietness. The lab was empty, as far she could tell. There was no sign of her mother, the sound of running machines breaking the otherwise quiet space. Her eyes fell on the several machines lining up most of the tables. Some were computer sized, while others were so big they were placed separately, each one of them occupying its own space. She was more fascinated by the bigger machines, getting closer to them and inspecting them closely. She wondered what they were for, and why there are so many of them placed around this part of the lab. She kept moving around the quiet lab, looking at everything with great curiosity. A particular machine grabbed her attention; it was one of the larger ones around the room. It was pristine white with flashing lights, it blinked red, which she assumed meant that it was switched off. Taking this as her clue, she approached the machine, finding out that it had enough hollow space in the middle of it. It being off encouraged her to take a peek inside. She couldn't see much, so she pulled herself closer, climbing inside of it to quell her curiosity. As soon as she was in, however, the light came on all of the sudden, and the opening she entered through has been closed off.

"Hey! What— You gotta be kidding me!" She tried kicking the walls, trying to get herself out, or at least be heard by anyone who might be around.

"What is it now?" Beams of light moved back and forth in the confined box she was trapped in.

"Oi! Someone! Do you hear me!" She yelled, hoping that the walls were not sound proof, otherwise, she'd be really screwed.

* * *

Ragyo Kiryuuin was out of her lab for a change. The last few days were busy, she admits that she has been working a lot, paying little attention to her youngest daughter. Despite keeping quiet, she was well aware of all of Ryuuko's antics, especially her latest escapade not one day before. Really, getting into a physical fight with some boys— That girl didn't know when or where to draw the line. It was within school grounds at least; next, she'd take it outside, probably brawling with delinquents and local gangs. That was absolutely not going to happen, not on her watch. She was planning on spending the day with this troublesome child, settle her down and give her some much-needed attention, see if that would straighten her up. Satsuki's call this morning reinforced her plans, as they both agreed that Ryuuko should spend less time on her own and more on…Productive activities.

Ragyo decided on setting up a schedule. Family dinners, casual afternoons, weekend outings— It won't be perfect, but doing these things once or twice a week would surely invoke some sort of a change. Besides, Ryuuko needs some adult supervision. Running around town at all hours of the night, waving a fake ID she acquired from somewhere around; getting her hands on all the R-rated movies on tv and ending up co-sleeping with either her or Satsuki… Yes, that list was long indeed. Something needs to be done about it before its too late. She is a good kid who makes the wrong choices, a lot. She knows that Soichiro will not be happy with this development. She won't disappoint him and end up losing her child to the streets; it will only get worse from there.

To start her new resolution, she left her lab early. She left the door open, as she will return to lock it after she finishes her shower. Ryuuko would be in practice after school, which gives her enough time to finish her freshening up and coming back downstairs. As fussy as she was about tennis, she wasn't so bad at it. She has seen her play and win first place easily, her swings were strong, and she had determination. She will ask about any upcoming tournaments or games, attending these should lift up Ryuuko's spirits. She'd start with tonight; Satsuki will be there soon as well. They'll get Ryuuko her greasy pizza and settle down with a good movie. She will tuck her in ( at a reasonable hour, as Ryuuko has not been sticking to her bedtime at all ) and catch up with her before she falls asleep. Yes, not all was lost; she will reconnect with her child and things will go back to the way they used to be.

Finding the door to the lab fully open made her stop in her tracks. When she left it open earlier, it was barely ajar. Going to the entrance, she saw the discarded shoes and school bag, confirming her fears. She rushed down the stairs, the silence making her wary. The lab was exactly as she and Iori left it earlier; no one was around, and she gave Iori the rest of the day off. After all, he's been working with her on this new technology non-stop for several days now.

Perhaps Ryuuko wasn't down here; chances are, she's already in her room, either napping or getting ready to go out. Yes, this must be it. She just needs to turn around and head back upstairs herself. There is nothing else for her to do…

The light on a particular machine was on. It was impossible, they have shut it off a few days ago. It was highly experimental and they needed more research before proceeding with the testing. But the light that is supposed to be red was now a steady blue, blinking continuously.

She approached the somehow running machine, her finger finding the switch and switching it off. Pressing another button, the upper lid was removed, revealing a sight she couldn't believe.

"Ryuuko?!"

Blue eyes blinked at her name being called. She was finally saved from the damned box that had her trapped for a while. Her mom was here and everything was okay.

"Maaa-maa…" _Huuuuh?_

"Goodness, what have you done?" Ragyo couldn't believe this.

"Wha'a mean?" _What_ the hell was _wrong with her speech? And her voice?_

To her utter surprise, Ragyo picked her up with great ease and left the lab. Ryuuko didn't understand much of what was going on and it bothered her.

"M-Mama, where we go?" _Seriously, what the hell?_

"You'll see."

"EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKK!" Yes, she fully intended the shriek that left her mouth as Ragyo stood in front of the mirror. She was—she was— small. Her body and face were those of a toddler, not her seventeen-year-old self.

How did this happen? What does it mean? Why is she trapped in this tiny body? Can they fix her? So many questions came to her, and her newly acquired body was not able to communicate half of them. Being a small child with very limited verbal ability, she did what small children did best. She wailed her frustration, fear, and confusion. Loud cries left her throat as she tried to make sense of this situation.

"There, there, calm down, shhhhhh." Ragyo cooed, despite her great apprehension at the present situation. But first things first; calming down the little child, then thinking about this thoroughly. In that order.


End file.
